AKL, Cabins or 1BR with 3 kids? Detailed

[SanDiegoDayTripper]

I don't know why I didn't think to tap into the knowledge of this board earlier...

We're going in late November with three kids, ages 7, 6 and 3 at the time of the trip. We're currently booked in a room at the AKL, and I thought I'd request the bunkbeds/trundle. This configuration was less that optimal for us this past winter at the Grand Californian at Disneyland. My middle son would not go to sleep until my husband at I turned off the TV and went to sleep at around 11 p.m., but we survived. That night, I started thinking about (dreading) a week-long trip.

I want to hear about other families' experiences with 5 people in a room. Is one room for a week a nightmare? Is a little separation and doors to close better? Should I go ahead and get a Fort Wilderness cabin? Or think about a 1 BR and rent from a DVC member? (I'm already leaning towards the cabins or 1BR for the kitchen, but I want to know others experiences purely from a sleeping standpoint.)

A note about my kids -- they are all great sleepers, but have their own rooms at home and are not used to distractions.

 

[welovedis]

I'd opt for either the FW cabins or the 1 bdrm villa. I honestly can't speak for FW, but have stayed in both a studio & a 1 bdrm @ BWV and we just loved the space in the larger room. We just have 1 DS (9) and he got his space, we got ours and we were happy to have it all! The pluses for the DVC rental IMO would be:
jacuzzi
large balcony (ours had doors leading from the LR & Master BR to the balcony)
washer/dryer (less packing!)
Deluxe resort atmosphere & amenities
DVC bonuses (free valet parking at DVC resorts on property) and possible DVC discounts on dining

I am totally biased on the DVC part of thing--you can see from my sig line that we can't want to try another DVC resort! Hopefully someone will chime in with some FW pluses for ya.

 

[plutolovr]

DVC 1br only sleep 4.

My family of five has stayed at the FW cabins on several occasions. My kids really liked it. There's a bedroom with bunk beds and a double bed, sink and I think they put the TV back in there also. The living room has a couch, chair and murphy bed and a TV. There's a full kitchen and maid service daily.

 

[welovedis]

DVC 1br only sleep 4.

Actually, according to the DVC owners on the DVC portion of these boards, families of 5 have been easily accomodated. The resort doesn't provide any additional bedding, like for an air mattress, but will let you have a family of 5 book a 1 bdrm villa with no problem. We had a 1 bedroom with a large couch or daybed in the bedroom area which would have easily accomodated a young child. Plus a Pack & Play is provided, although it would be small for some 3 year olds.

 

[lovesdumbo]

AKL rooms only accomodate 4 as well. I've never heard of a trundle at AKL. Bunk beds are just a request so you could very likely end up with 2 queens.

I've stayed 6 (1 under 3) in a room at the Poly and we do fine except that I don't mind going to bed when the kids do. I'm really tired too and the kids are tired and sleep well too.

I've stayed at the cabins and they are really nice except that the transportation isn't great and the pool is just a pool-not as fun as the other resorts.

Have you considered 2 rooms at a value?

 

[SanDiegoDayTripper]

The room we have booked at the AKL is a deluxe savannah, which is what the website listed as accomodating five people. But like I said, even though we are allowed five people in one room, do I really want that?

 

[wrldpossibility]

Did they let you book the AKL room because right now, your youngest is under 3? Just wondering how you got that room with a group of 5, unless it's a deluxe room? I'm curious because we looked into the same thing. But we came to the same conclusion you did on a recent (shorter) trip with our family of 5 in one room (my kids will be 7, 5, and 2 when we go). We decided at Disney we definitely needed the extra room. So we said adios to the idea of a deluxe and booked two room at POR. It's more than one room at a deluxe, but we think well worth it (we didn't rent DVC points because we'd be there over 2 weekends, and it was too much!). Anyway, just wanted to let you know we came to the same conclusion...our oldest won't go to sleep until the TV's off either! Our TA said we're really likely (but not guaranteed) to get connecting rooms.

Sorry, you just answered my question about the AKL room! We looked at that one, too, but decided for the same $$ (or close) we'd have more room and two bathrooms at POR.

 

[HeatherC]

We are also a family of 5...and for this reason alone we only stay offsite. I would love to stay at one of the Disney resorts when the kids are older, but for the price and space of what we can pay for a three or 4 bedroom villa that is literally 10 minutes from the parks at a much less price, just works terrific for us. (We have never paid over $130 a night).

You may want to check out some of the Marriott resorts (Grande Vista or Cypress Harbor) or the Hilton Grand Vacation club, or Sheraton's Vistana, or Orange Lake. These are all gorgeous resorts with beautiful pools, landscaping, washer/dryers, full kitchens, mulitiple tvs and bathrooms.... And they are extremely close to the park.
And...depending on what onsite resort you are at, the buses can take longer than hopping in your own car.

But...if you're heart is set on staying onsite, I think some rooms at the contemporary sleep 5 also.

Have a wonderful trip no matter where you stay!

HeatherC

 

[runner26.2]

We have DD9, DD6, DS3 and a hotel room did not work for us in the past. Getting the little ones to sleep was next to impossible unless all lights were out and everyone was quiet.

This past November we stayed off site in a 2 bedroom condo which worked out much better. We did stay 2 nights a POR. After the kids were tucked into bed my DW and I hauled the room chairs out onto the corridor and had a drink (or two) while the kids fell asleep. The weather was quite nice and it was actually enjoyable to sit outside and relax after a hectic day in the park. Having said that I'm not sure I'd do that for an entire week, or what we would have done if there were lots of bugs, rain etc.

If you have an option to get even a 1 bedroom on site, or stay offsite in a two bedroom condo I'd strongly suggest it. It worked real well for us and we'd do it again.

 

[trene]

We stayed at AKL and you can sleep 5, queen bed, bunk beds and the couch which makes a very comfortable bed (or so my son says). It is very close quarters! So if your wanting private time well.....not gonna happen!! But isn't Disney is all about Family time!!

 

[SanDiegoDayTripper]

Thanks to everyone who responded. I'm really leaning away from the one room at the AKL, which breaks my heart, but I know I can visit. I really hadn't thought about staying offsite, but I will now. My grandmother has a condo about 10 minutes out. Thanks to the poster who gave me the names of offsite condos, I'll probably look up a few, JIC.

We were planning on renting a car anyway, my husband is the kind of guy that when he's ready to go, he's ready and I know the bus service would drive him nuts. I know we wouldn't have to wait long, but that's the kind of thing that irritates him. He hates being on anyone else's schedule. So since we'll have a car, maybe offsite would work.

One of the reasons I liked the idea of staying onsite was because I thought (and I could be wrong) we wouldn't get lost as easily. When staying offsite, is it hard to get around and back to the World? Are there still construction problems on the outlying roads? TIA

 

[HeatherC]

It really isn't hard getting around offsite. There are so many signs and some of the resorts I've mentioned are an extremely easy commute. You make like one or two turns and you are lliterally on Disney property.

I think you would have a wonderful time in a larger place. It is so nice to have the extra space...even for the kids. When they get tired and cranky, even they have a little room to just "veg" in peace.

Since we only a get few weeks vacation each year, it is really important for my dh to get a chance to also relax. If we all have a little extra "elbow" room, we are all much more happier and relaxed when we come home.

Another website you can check is www.hotelkingdom.com. They offer some really good rates at some nice resorts. But if you are comparing to AK, I would definitely recommend the Marriott's or Sheratons.

FYI - You can check Marriott on www.vacationclub.com. When you click on dates to check the rates, just type M11 in the promo field for members only rates. Sometimes they are a lot less...and you can sign up for Marriott Rewards free online.

Hope this helps you.

Isn't it fun planning a Disney trip?

HeatherC

 

[Junebugwv]

We have stayed onsite for the last 5 trips with now ds13 and ds8. When the other 3 were still living at home, we NEVER considered onsite because we wanted the extra room. We just returned and I found that I still said "lights out at 10" for everyone so that the kids would get to sleep. So, I think a separate bedroom is great when you have younger kids. The cabins seem like a good option since you would still be on property and you would more room. But, if a fun pool is important, you would find that the pool is very basic at the campgrounds. You can use your car to get to your cabin, but not to go other places at Ft. Wilderness.

 

[momofbgtwins]

Go to the Orlando Hotels and Attractions Forum. The offsite hotels are ranked by people who've stayed there.

We stay offsite at Horizons by Marriott. It is close to Disney and very close to Sea World - a must see IMHO. The pools are very kid oriented, as is the whole resort, actually. Personally, after staying at a 2 bedroom condo I would never stay in a hotel room for the same price.